Groups offer temporary homes to military pets

By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTONAssociated Press

Sunday

Mar 7, 2010 at 12:01 AM

When Maj. Randall Baucom received word that the Army was sending him to Iraq in 2006, he immediately began to worry about what he would do with his two mixed-breed dogs. Buster and Little Girl, a 70-pound male and a 40-pound female, were about a year old and a bit rambunctious, said Baucom, who was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

When Maj. Randall Baucom received word that the Army was sending him to Iraq in 2006, he immediately began to worry about what he would do with his two mixed-breed dogs.Buster and Little Girl, a 70-pound male and a 40-pound female, were about a year old and a bit rambunctious, said Baucom, who was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.“I didn’t want to put them in a kennel for 15 months,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of dogs I would have gotten back if they would have been in a kennel for 15 months.”He was relieved when he found Guardian Angels for Soldiers’ Pet, a volunteer organization that helps men and women in any branch of the armed forces find temporary homes for pets. It is one of several pet foster programs that offer such free help to military personnel.The organizations help reduce the stress on troops preparing for overseas deployment, said Specialist Stephanie Dortch, who works in the soldier readiness processing center at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Ind. Dortch called the volunteers “awesome. They’re sacrificing a lot to have these pets and eventually give them back to their owners.”One volunteer, Gary Marshall, considers it a chance to give back to the troops defending the country.“We thought it would be really nice to help out somebody in the military — to provide a nice home for their dog,” said the Santa Paula, Calif., resident.Marshall and his wife, Angie, recently opened their home to Kelli, a 2-year-old German shepherd owned by Matthew Snyder, who is stationed with the Army in South Korea. Only their 8-year-old yellow Labrador retriever was apprehensive, Marshall said.“He didn’t know quite what to do with this dog,” Marshall said. Now, the two have fun playing together, he said.Initially, Snyder’s mother, Kristie Bruce, was taking care of Kelli and Snyder’s other dog, but Bruce had to give them up when she was laid off from her job. She is grateful to the foster families for stepping up.“It was a blessing for both of us,” said Bruce, who lives in Simi Valley, Calif. “You know how moms are — they don’t want to disappoint their kids.”For Baucom, knowing that Buster and Little Girl were being cared for in a private home gave him peace of mind during his overseas duty, he said. And when he came home in 2008, the return of his pets made a huge difference. “They helped me integrate faster,” he said. “They were my support system. I never felt alone.”———On the Net:http://www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org/http://www.operationnoblefoster.org/http://www.netpets.org/

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